((Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long. The creative juices were trickling more than flowing these last few days. I kept trying to add more to the chapter, but adding on the next bit just made this chapter feel unwieldy and overlong, plus I think it ruined the impact of the ending. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long! As always, comments make my bitter soul bloom into something a little less bitter. Please let me know what you think! Also, come follow me at unchainmesister on tumblr!))
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"Remind we have to do this again?" Paul groaned, pulling at the collar of his jacket.
"Because if we don't play nice, we'll start an international incident." Dwayne smacked his brother upside the head, if only to stop his fidgeting.
"But what do we care? Screw the world! I'm getting tired of all this shit." Paul snarled and tried to punch his brother, but Dwayne easily dodged him.
"I don't care either, but have you tried telling that to Mae?" Dwayne nodded pointedly at their sister, who was standing several feet away, giving Lukas some last minute instructions at the bar.
Paul said nothing. Dwayne's point had been made.
Tonight would be the second most difficult night of the week, topped only by the wedding itself: they'd be playing host to the Romanian coven, the most powerful coven in the entire world. While the brothers cared little for Santa Carla's part in international politics, they knew objectively that if things didn't go well, Mae would wring their necks. The important part would be to make sure that their guests had a formal welcome (because apparently that was a thing with ancient vampires), a nice dinner, maybe some dancing, then back to their hotel to wait for the wedding in two days. It sounded simple, like having to deal with the in-laws on Thanksgiving…if your in-laws could rip your intestines out with their bare hands. Mae had been drilling what they could and could not do into their heads for weeks, to the point that Paul was sure that his ears would bleed out if he heard the phrase 'When in doubt, just smile and keep quiet' one more time. At least Mae and David were in charge of the actual niceties, not them. Dwayne and Paul weren't stupid by any means, but this pretentious courtier act was over their pay grade.
The reception, as it were, would be held at Pandemonium, the most neutral ground in their fair city. Lukas had made sure the place was clean and tidy yesterday after the evening crowd had left, stocking up on good wine and top-tier blood. Most of the wedding guests had arrived, with just a few set to land the next day. A few members of each party were present at the club, milling about and chatting as they waited to greet (or rather, get in the good graces of) the newcomers. All of Dwayne's men were present, pistols strapped to their sides, loaded with silver bullets, and slim wooden stakes tucked into their boots or pockets. Paul had pulled Vic and Kai from field duty, the two already outside the small bed and breakfast the Romanians had taken over for the duration of their stay.
Besides Lukas, Marko had Calpurnia by his side in the club, as she was the only one of the Santa Carla vampires to have ever met the Romanians before. She didn't talk about it often, but Calpurnia was perhaps the oldest vampire in the New World, born at the end of the Roman Empire to upper class parents and turned in her early twenties. Her insight was invaluable, and Mae had spent many hours in conference with Marko's top agent. Dwayne's visual sweep of the place found nothing amiss, so he turned back to Paul, who was texting someone, probably Kai.
"What's the word?"
"They're nearly ready to ride over. Kai's made contact. He'll be leading them here. Seems like the fancy fuckers are renting a limo. Figures. Vic is already on his way; he'll be setting up on the roof just outside. I'll let Mae know." Paul clapped Dwayne on the shoulder before weaving his way through the crowd to his little sister.
"Hey sis. The package is on its way, or whatever you wanna call 'em." Paul whispered, grabbing the beer that Lukas had immediately opened for the blonde as soon as he saw him coming over.
"Right on time. Okay, Lukas, keep an eye on the guests. I don't think any of them will try to pull anything, but you never know. Vic should be up on the roof by now, brother. See if he's there, please." Mae kissed Paul's cheek before heading towards the door.
"Sato. Aminah. With me, please."
As Mae neared the entrance, two figures detached themselves from the shadows around the edge of the room. Sato and Aminah were of a height, both of them tall and imposing in their own ways. Sato exuded a cold and calculating aura, his shrewd eyes instantly picking up on every single weakness on his opponent instantly. Aminah was both taller and broader than your average woman, thanks in part to her Samoan heritage. The fact that neither of them looked like traditional bodyguards was the whole point; Mae wanted to make a statement, that the coven's looks may be deceiving, but beneath their varied faces and statures was an indomitable strength that was difficult to defeat. All of Dwayne's soldiers were dressed the same, in carefully fitted suits that, while fashionable, allowed for maximum movement and flexibility. Their hidden pockets were lined with all kinds of weapons for every situation. Mae heard the telltale sounds of Aminah slipping a pair of brass knuckles disguised as rings onto her fingers and smiled. Out of all the Enforcers, Aminah was her favorite. Mae liked a girl who could knock her lights out.
A bouncer opened the door for them, a rush of warm summer air fighting against the air conditioning of the bar. Mae's heels clicked against the concrete as she made her way to the edge of the sidewalk, hearing the distant sound of cars approaching. She glanced up at the rooftop across from her, catching Vic's cheerful wave and acknowledging it with a slight nod. Besides the four of them, there was no one outside, although Mae was sure that some wanderers were skulking around nearby, eager to see the equivalent of vampire royalty exit their car. Humans were all alike, even when they weren't human anymore.
It took only a minute for the vehicles to appear, a line of four driving carefully down the semi-abandoned street. Lukas had put his little establishment firmly in the middle of an empty industrial district, as far away from the lights and sounds of the city as possible without going off the power grid. The police were carefully mesmered into avoiding this part of town, and a few well-paid guards were always roaming the streets at night to make sure that any humans wandering around found themselves turning back. No one with a rapid heartbeat would be bothering them tonight.
The first car pulled up, a long limo with tinted windows sliding to a stop right before Mae. A man stepped out of the passenger door, walking quickly around the car to open up the back door for its occupants. Behind them, the other three cars parked as well, a handful of guards and hangers-on exiting the vehicles. The man from the limo opened the door, letting out Kai, who smiled at Mae before standing aside to allow the guests of honor out. A young man exited the car first, dressed in a suit that looked right of the runways of Milan, a bespoke masterpiece that mixed Victorian elegance with modern sensibilities. His hair was artfully mussed, his piercing green eyes a frightening mixture of haunted and calculating. He appeared unhealthily gaunt, perhaps a remnant of the era of his birth. He turned back to the car and helped his companion out, a woman with an almost cherubic beauty, with eyes as equally haunting as the man's. Her pale hair hung in loose waves around her face, trailing down the front of her burgundy dress. Like her companion, she was dressed in a mix of modern and Victorian elegance, an almost off-putting combination of past and present. Their retainers gathered to Mae's right, the man who'd opened the door for them moving to stand to his master's left, obviously a bodyguard of some kind. Mae stepped forwards, offering a small bow before extending her hand to the woman first.
"Welcome to Santa Carla, my friends. I am Mae, sister of the king, and these are two of our guardsmen, Aminah and Sato. I trust that Kai led you here with no trouble." Mae's voice was soft and sweet, but her eyes were assessing, examining her guests just as they were examining her.
"A pleasure to meet you, draga mea." The woman shook Mae's hand, her grip firm but gentle.
"If we had known that Santa Carla's vampires were such gracious hosts, we would have come to visit much sooner." The man added, taking Mae's hand and kissing it with a perfect gentlemanly manner. "I am Teodor, and this is my mate, Cosmina. We are delighted to make your acquaintance."
"If I had known that Romania's vampires were such flattering guests, we would have invited them to our city much sooner." Mae replied, her smile genuine. While she knew the two ancient vampires were assessing her for weakness, their words were truthful, not flattery, which was a point in their favor.
Cosmina laughed, slipping her arm through Teodor's.
"Oh my! Such manners! Have I not said that Americans are a truly charming people, lubirea mea?" Cosmina giggled, looking adoringly at her mate.
"Yes, my love." Teodor smiled indulgently at his mate before turning back to Mae.
"Shall we go inside? Once you've met my brothers, I've arranged for drinks and dancing, if you're so inclined. Several members of the various covens visiting our city for the wedding are here, so if you'd like to leave without being bothered, I'm afraid I don't have very many options for you." Mae smiled apologetically.
"That's quite all right. I think it is better to speak with them now than on the night of Túlio's wedding. Talk will inevitably turn to business, so it is best to get that out of the way instead of clouding the joyous mood with talk of politics." Teodor waved away her concern, following her as Mae led them back inside.
The bouncers opened the door, allowing Mae and her guests into the bar. Inside, the music had been switched on, the singer of She Wants Revenge chanting about dark romance and obsession. The crowd parted as Mae led the way, Aminah and Sato peeling off from the party to retake their stations against the wall. David was sitting on an elegant chair on the small raised platform that usually housed the DJ, but was empty for now. On the stairs leading up to the stage was Marko, standing to David's left, while Paul stood on the same step to David's right. Dwayne was standing on the stage next to David, always by his oldest friend's side. David was in conversation with his lieutenant, while Marko and Paul were scanning the crowd to make sure no one made a run for the newcomers. Mae stopped in front of the stage, moving to the side so that Teodor and Cosmina could stand directly before her brother. Their entourage fanned out behind them, a handful of men and women who exuded nobility and feral darkness in equal measure. Mae glanced up at her brother, receiving a nod in return, her cue to make the introductions.
"Brother, may I introduce the King and Queen of the Romanian coven, Teodor and his mate, Cosmina." Mae gestured at the man and woman at her side, who both stepped forwards and offered nods of their head to David, who returned it with one of his own.
"Teodor, Cosmina, may I present my brother, David, the King of Santa Carla." Mae made the same sweeping gesture towards her family. "May I also present my brothers Dwayne, Marko, and Paul, blood brothers of the king and captains of our coven."
David stood from his seat, walking silently down the steps until he stood face to face with Teodor and Cosmina, offering Teodor his hand to shake.
"Welcome to Santa Carla. While you're here, you're under our personal protection, you and your family. I hope you enjoy your stay." David said with all the grace and charm of a movie star in a period film. Mae felt a warm glow of pride deep in her chest, along with no small amount of relief that things seemed to be going well.
"Thank you, my friend. I look forward to our time here, and thank you for your hospitality." Teodor replied, shaking David's hand firmly. Despite his thick accent, his words were easily understood.
"A pleasure, draga mea. From what we have seen, your city is a most intriguing place." Cosmina smiled, shaking David's hand as well. Whatever 'draga mea' meant, it seemed to be her favorite term for those outside her family. Interesting. Mae made a mental note to look it up later.
"Thank you. We have our moments." David grinned, his teeth gleaming in the low light.
"Shall I have drinks brought over?" Mae offered. "We have just about everything here. I'm sure you're tired from your journey."
"We would be most appreciative, draga mea." Cosmina smiled, slipping her arm around Teodor's waist, his hand moving almost automatically to rest over hers. She was about to say more, but was interrupted by a glass dropping by the bar.
Time froze.
Maybe it was the low lighting of the club, interspersed with the relative brightness of the decorative lamps on the table. Maybe it was the music, the rhythm so driving and intense that it demanded attention above all else. Maybe they'd grown soft in their years of peace. Maybe it was everything and nothing at all. They were never quite sure how they missed it, how they came up short. All they did know was that they missed the viper in their nest, discovering it only when it was too late.
"David?"
Every eye in the room turned to the speaker, his voice breaking with confusion and disbelief. By his side, a woman gasped, her hands covering her mouth as she tried not to scream. Behind them, another man's gaze hardened, but he surprisingly said nothing. Mae turned to her brothers, about to ask if they knew the man, only to rush forward to restrain Paul, who's eyes had gone acid yellow with hatred, his fangs flashing in the dim lighting. David placed a hand on Dwayne's arm, stopping him from moving, while Marko stood in place, momentarily shocked. No one dared to move or speak. Even the music seemed to quiet of its own volition...until David spoke one word.
"Michael."
Judas had returned to the scene of the crime.
